


Mommy Pie

by LeelaSmall



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: APPLE CIDER, Also Arrogant Worms ponies, F/M, Howard Wolowitz pony, My ponysona makes a cameo, Plus her coltfriend, Pony Sex, Triplets, Unplanned Pregnancy, Weird Al references, and lots of it!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:17:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeelaSmall/pseuds/LeelaSmall
Summary: After a party gone wilder than expected, Pinkie finds herself with a little… surprise inside her. Now she and Cheese have to get ready for a new stage in their lives. [Original publish date: June 2, 2014]





	1. One Apple Cider Too Many

They shakily and clumsily made their way up the stairs, trying their best to put one hoof in front of the other, which was being quite a challenge due to their intoxicated state. Trying their best to stay quiet, the mare and the stallion wobbled towards their destination as quietly as they could so as not to wake up the rest of the bakery's residents.

"Sh-shhhh…" whispered Pinkie Pie to her companion with a hoof in front of her mouth, managing to spit out some saliva in the process. "I-I don't wanna… wake up the _*hic!*_ Cakes."

Cheese Sandwich nodded, almost losing his balance as he did. Pinkie turned back around and resumed her zigzagging towards the door at the top floor. She fumbled with the doorknob, her hooves feeling like they had been covered with butter, and the fact that she was seeing double wasn't helping either.

Although their memory was a little blurry, they could still recall the events that had led to that moment: after Twilight had gotten the honor of becoming Equestria's Princess of Friendship, Pinkie decided they should have a party like no other in order to 'break in' her new castle. She immediately sent a letter to Cheese Sandwich, whom she knew was helping out with a Bachelor Party in Marewaukee, to help her throw the bash of the century, request which he complied to when he showed up in Ponyville by surprise not an hour after Pinkie had mailed the letter to him.

Everypony agreed that that was the biggest and best party Equestria had ever seen, and by the end of it Twilight's castle and everything within a two mile radius was completely trashed. At some point though, Applejack and her family had brought a generous amount of barrels filled with their famous apple cider, and Pinkie, carried away by her festive mood, challenged Cheese to a cider drinking contest. Of course he said yes, and the two of them drank more than all the guests combined, which resulted in them getting as drunk as nopony knew was possible. They spent the remainder of the night wobbling around and bumping into everypony else, slurring their words as they rambled about the most varied topics at an obnoxious level and having food fights with each other.

This carried out till the end of the party, when everypony went home and Twilight was left with the arduous task of having to clean up after her guests. Pinkie managed to convince Cheese to go see where she lived and dragged him to Sugarcube Corner as they sang out of tune together, making anypony they passed on the street cringe.

Eventually Pinkie managed to grab hold of the doorknob and opened her door, almost falling as she pushed it.

"He- _*hic!*_ here it is!" she declared as she gestured towards the inside of the room with her hoof. "This is… my room."

"Wow! _*hic!*_ It's re-really… roomy!" Cheese commented, laughing heartily at his own joke. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the drowsy pink mare in front of him and suppressed a chuckle.

"Wha-whaaaat?"

"You… you have a _*hic!* _pretzel stuck to your mane." he poked the mentioned salted snack which was tangled in her raspberry locks as a result of one of their previous food fights and snorted humorously. Pinkie gave him a teasing scowl and clumsily pushed his foreleg away from her.

"Shu… shut up."

She gave him a weak playful push, to which he replied with the same move, making them both lose their balance and fall onto Pinkie's bed behind her, she lying on her back and him lying on top of her. They laughed compulsively until they almost ran out of breath, tears rolling down their cheeks as they started to calm themselves. As their chuckles finally ceased they found themselves staring at each other, goofy grins splattered across both of their muzzles.

"You… your eye color matches your cutie mark." Cheese remarked, pushing his hoof onto her nose and making her laugh harder than was expected.

"I _*hic!*_ love you, Cheesie." said Pinkie as she wrapped her forelegs around the orange-ish stallion's neck, bringing him close enough so that their noses were touching.

"Aww, that's… that's so_*hic!*_ cute! I love you too, Pinkie." he whispered as seductively as he managed under the influence of the heavy dose of alcohol he had ingested.

The two ponies crashed their lips onto each others' in an almost violent manner, kissing passionately as their forelegs held them close and caressed their backs at the same time. Soon their hooves began to explore each others' bodies, trailing down to areas which had been yet to be explored by anypony.

It was around that time that Mr. Cake got up to go to the kitchen and fetch himself a glass of water, when he heard odd noises coming from the floor above him, which he knew was Pinkie's room. He knew she was prone to shenanigans, but at that hour? He thought it was best to go check up on her.

As he reached the top floor he raised a hoof to knock on Pinkie's door, but stopped himself as soon as he heard moaning from both Pinkie and somepony else he couldn't quite identify. That and the sound of a squeaking mattress made his eyes widen as he realized something he didn't want to.

"SWEET CHIMICHERRYCHANGA!" he heard Pinkie yell from inside as their moaning increased in both volume and frequency until for some reason he heard her party cannon going off.

"OH, GRAPEFRUIT DIET!" shouted a stallion, whom by his distinguished voice Mr. Cake quickly identified as being Cheese Sandwich.

He slowly took a few steps back, his gaze glued onto the door in utter shock. He deeply regretted having ascended to that floor, and he definitely never expected hearing what he had heard. Not in a million years.

Finally turning around he quickly headed down the stairs, careful enough not to make a noise. As he headed down to his room where his wife was sound asleep he tried to clear his head and forget about what had occurred. 'Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened…', he told himself. But as much as he tried he couldn't keep the sounds that emanated from Pinkie's room from echoing in his ears. He just hoped he could get back to sleep.


	2. Riding the Foal Train

"Here you go, a dozen muffins fresh out of the oven!"

Pinkie slid a cardboard box across the counter to a salivating Derpy. It had been a week since Twilight's housewarming party, and Pinkie was manning Sugarcube Corner while the cakes were away at a doctor appointment with the twins. The gray Pegasus took the box with great satisfaction and clumsily flapped her wings towards the door, nearly crashing into Twilight, who was just walking in.

"Morning, Pinkie!" the violet alicorn greeted her friend as she walked up her.

"Oh hey, Twilight!" Pinkie waved at her as she leaned over the counter. "Guess what! The Cakes left me in charge of the store for a whole day! Isn't that super-duper awesome?"

"It sure is." Twilight chuckled at her glee. "Anyway, I need a dozen cupcakes to go. I'm having a guest over."

"OooOOOoooh, is Flash Sentry coming to visit?" squealed Pinkie, only to have a hoof pushed against her muzzle.

"Pinkie!" Twilight whispered as she held her hoof against her friend's mouth and looked around, blushing brightly. As soon as she made sure the store was empty, she lowered her foreleg. "Not so loud!"

"Aw come on, everypony saw how you two were dancing at the party!" Pinkie elbowed her friend and winked at her. "And I mean EVERYPONY! That party was huge!"

"I'll say. I'm still trying to get silly string out of my curtains."

"Whoopsie!" Pinkie giggled as she remembered the events that caused that. "Guess Cheese and I got a little too carried away, uh?"

"Speaking of which, where is Cheese? I haven't seen him in a few days."

"Oh, he's throwing a Trot Mitzvah in Fillydelphia. Won't be back for another couple of days." she looked up with a dreamy expression and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm guessing your relationship is going well?" Twilight asked with an understanding look on her face.

"It sure is…" she replied as she rested her head on her hooves. Suddenly they heard a 'ding!' coming from the kitchen, which made Pinkie perk up. "Ooh, you're in luck!" she bolted in the opposite direction and returned not a second later with a tray of hot yellow-frosted cupcakes. "I just made a fresh batch of banana cupcakes!"

"They look delicious!" Twilight commented as she took in their sweet scent.

"I bet they are! I used a super special ingredient on these! It's – "

Suddenly she stopped, her eyes widening, and just stood still for a second until she placed the tray on the counter and raised a hoof.

"Hold that thought." she ran up the stairs in such a rush that made Twilight worry. She had just arched an eyebrow when she heard a sound that made her cringe: retching. Really loud retching.

Concern taking over, Twilight made her way to the upper floor, and as soon as she reached the hallway she noticed the retching sound was coming from the bathroom. Looking inside she saw Pinkie leaned over the toilet, throwing up at an excruciating level.

"Pinkie, are you OK?" Twilight asked worriedly as she placed a hoof over her shoulder.

"Woo wee…" Pinkie commented as she weakly flushed down her stomach's contents and closed the toilet, sitting on it right afterwards. "That was intense…"

"What happened? Did you let Applejack help you bake again?"

"No, not recently."

"Did you eat anything that could've made you sick?"

"I don't think so. I did have a giant bowl of cookie dough for breakfast, but that's never hurt me before!"

"Mmmmmh…" Twilight tapped her chin with her right hoof as she took a minute to think. "I better take a look at you. Good thing I recently learned a spell that allows me to see ponies' insides."

"Neat!"

Twilight took Pinkie to her room upstairs and instructed her to lie down on her bed with her stomach facing up. She warned her to stay still, feat that was almost impossible for the pink mare, but she managed to keep herself as still as she could. The princess then proceeded to touch her abdomen with the tip of her horn, which upon contact started emanating a bright white light.

"Ooh, shiny!" Pinkie exclaimed as she stared wide-eyed at the light.

"Don't look at the light, Pinkie. It might hurt your eyes." Twilight advised her as she kept her eyes closed and slowly moved her horn over Pinkie, receiving a mental image of the inside of her body. "I don't see anything in your stomach. Maybe if I – "

She suddenly let out a loud gasp and quickly opened her eyes, terminating the spell and consequently turning her horn's light off. She took a few steps back and sat on the floor, her eyes as wide as saucers staring off into the distance as if she had just seen a ghost.

"What? What is it?" Pinkie inquired her friend as she sat up. "Do I have a rubber ducky in there again? I swear I have no idea how those keep getting in there!"

"It… it can't be…" she blinked a few times before directing her attention back to Pinkie, who was now tilting her head in curiosity. "Pinkie… I have no idea how to tell you this…"

"How about in a song? That always works for me!" she suggested as she stood up and inhaled to start singing, but Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof before she could.

"No, Pinkie, this is serious!" she sternly scolded her friend. Lowering her hoof, she took a deep breath and calmed herself before looking back at her. "Pinkie… you're pregnant."

"I… really?" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening to an almost impossible level. Twilight simply nodded, and the pink mare stood silent for a few seconds as she tried to take in that new information. "Oh…" her lips curled into a small smile. "…my…" her smile grew from ear to ear. "…GOSH!" she squealed and jumped off the bed and bounced around the room and on the walls in pure joy.

"But it can't be!" Twilight whispered to herself, still baffled about Pinkie's condition. "Unless… Wait a minute!" she grabbed hold of Pinkie in midair with her magic and brought her close so she could look her in the eyes. "Pinkie, what did you do?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean there's only one way this could've happened and you're not telling me." Twilight stomped her hoof, anger starting to bubble up inside her. "Did you and Cheese Sandwich…" she tried to choose her next words carefully. "…consummate your relationship?"

"Consu-what, now?" Pinkie stared at her with a raised brow in confusion.

"You know…" she made a circle in front of her with her hoof as she explained. "…when a stallion and a mare love each other very much…"

"Oh, THAT!" Pinkie interrupted her.

"Well… did you?"

Pinkie blushed furiously and grinned as she tapped the tips of her hooves together, avoiding eye contact with the violet alicorn. That was all it took for Twilight to understand everything.

"PINKIE!" she yelled at her, inadvertently dropping her. "I'm surprised at you! This is one thing I never expect from you! What were you thinking?!"

"I don't know, I can't really remember it happening." she shrugged. "I remember challenging Cheese to a cider drinking contest, then it's all black, and the next morning when I woke up he was there! With me! In my bed!"

"Oh, great. I told you not to drink that much cider! Don't you know it could be hazardous to your health?"

"Oh lighten up, Twilight!" Pinkie wrapped her foreleg around Twilight's neck and gave her a playful squeeze. "Don't you realize how great this is? I'm going to be a MOMMY!" she squealed loudly, making Twilight's hears ring. She did a backflip whilst shouting 'WOOHOO!' and grabbed Gummy, who was casually walking by. "Hear that, Gummy? You're gonna be an uncle!" she rubbed her nose against his. "I'm so excited! I almost can't believe I'm having a little Pinkie! Or a little Cheese!"

"There's a good chance you'll have both." Twilight declared, now smiling at her friend's joy. Pinkie gasped loudly.

"You mean I'm having twins?" she asked, squeezing her pet alligator against her chest.

"Triplets, actually. I'm pretty sure I saw three embryos in there."

Pinkie dropped Gummy as she stared at her friend, her eyes as wide as they could get. She then exploded in glee, shrieking and bouncing on the walls again, this time even managing to leap against the ceiling.

"Pinkie, calm down! Remember, you have to take it easy from now on." Twilight advised her as she watched her jump around the room.

"OHMYGOSH, WE HAVE TO TELL CHEESE!" Pinkie exclaimed as she fell on her knees in front of Twilight and shook her vigorously. "He's going to be SOOOOO HAPPY!"

"But how? He's all the way in Fillydelphia!"

"Oh, that's easy! We'll just start planning a party! That'll activate his Cheesy Sense and he'll come galloping back!"

"OK. Lead the way, commander!" Twilight giggled as she playfully saluted her.

"Aright-y, then." she adopted a serious demeanor and put on an army helmet she took out from who-knows-where. "We're gonna need streamers, the biggest banner you can find, and balloons." she narrowed her eyes. "Lots and lots of balloons."


	3. Congratulations, Daddy!

The floor was shaking and spirits were high as everypony danced to their favorite traditional tune. Ponies of all ages, kinds and genders could be seen stomping their hooves to the beat as a few more bulky stallions lifted up a chair being sat on by a young bright-orange unicorn colt with a glossy dark-brown mane in a bowl cut, firmly grasping the wooden material as it swayed around, yet still smiling brightly. He seemed to be having the time of his life, and for once the fact that he had braces and pimples all over his face didn't concern him at all. This was his day, and nopony was going to ruin it.

Applauses roared through the large ballroom as the chair was finally set down on the floor and the colt descended from his seat, celebrating with the rest of his peers. After bro-hoofing a few of his friends, he happily trotted to a table in the corner where a single stallion was sitting, eating pancakes and quietly observing the festivities.

"_Oy gevalt_, this party rocks!" he exclaimed in his squeaky nasally voice. "Thanks, Cheese Sandwich!"

"It's my pleasure." Cheese replied nonchalantly as took another pancake to his mouth. "Besides, you deserve it!"

"He sure does." a large beige unicorn approached the young one with a smile, the curls of his midnight-blue mane peeking from under his black hat. "Today my son is a stallion. Happy Trot Mitzvah, Dreidel." he rubbed his son's head, messing up his mane and almost making his yarmulke fall off.

"Thanks, dad! And maybe now I can score some attention from the fillies." he grinned slyly as he eyed the room in search for some good-looking females, making his dad and Cheese chuckle.

"DREIDEEELL!" shouted what sounded like a mare with a loud and obnoxious voice from across the room. "WE'RE OUT OF HAMANTASHEN!"

"CHECK THE KITCHEN, MA!" Dreidel shouted back, looking utterly annoyed, and let out a frustrated sigh.

"So, Dreidel…" Cheese started, trying to lighten up his mood. "…I take it from your cutie mark you wanna be an astropony?"

"Actually, no." he replied, looking over at the rocket ship on his flank. "I wanna be a rocket scientist!"

"I really wish you would reconsider, son." said Dreidel's dad, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "I would really like it if you carried on with the family business."

"You mean accounting?!" he stuck out his tung. "That's so boring! Besides, I didn't get this cutie mark for nothing. I'll be a great rocket scientist, you'll see!"

"DREIDEEEELLL!" his mom called out again, this time sounding like she was even further away. "THERE'S NO HAMANTASHEN IN HERE, EITHER!"

"THEN JUST MAKE SOME MORE, MA!"

"OH, THAT'S REAL NICE, MAKING YOUR OWN MOTHER COOK FOR YOU ON YOUR TROT MITZVAH! THAT'S NOT HOW I RAISED YOU, YOUNG COLT! YOU MARCH YOUR SKINNY TUKHUS IN HERE RIGHT NOW AND LEND ME A HOOF!"

"Oh, for Luna's sake…" he slapped his forehead with his hoof and started slowly walking away. "I'M COMIN', MA!"

Dreidel's dad and Cheese watched as he made his way towards the kitchen at the other end of the room, dragging his hoofs across the floor in pure annoyance. As soon as he was out of hearing range they continued their conversation.

"It's like this every day." Dreidel's dad commented with a sigh. "I honestly have no idea what else to do. Sometimes I just walk out of the house and return half an hour later, when they're both pouting in their corners."

"Don't worry. He'll learn to appreciate her sooner or later." Cheese took the last piece of food on his plate to his mouth and hopped out of his seat as he put on his travelling hat. "Well, it's been real fly, Rabbi, but it's high time I hit the road."

"At least have another latke!" the unicorn pleaded as he lifted up a plate of the same pancakes Cheese had been eating before. "They're made from potatoes!"

"Well, I can never say no to spuds…"

Cheese raised a hoof in the direction of the plate as he licked his lips, but immediately stopped when his whole body began to shake so violently he was actually moving backwards due to the vibration. His cutie mark emitted accordion music at an almost unacceptably-loud volume, and when the first signs ceased he sprung up into the air at such an altitude he barely missed the ceiling. He fell on his back on top of his own table, and it took him a while to shake off the starts he was seeing around his head.

"Whew! That was the dooziest doozy ever!" he said as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "And there, of all places!" he took his hoof to chin in wonder. "What could she be planning that's so important?"

"Is everything alright?" Dreidel's dad asked, confused by the whole scene that he had just witnessed.

"Everything's fine, but if you'll excuse me…" he jumped off of the table and quickly put on his travelling poncho and his rubber chicken Boneless Two on his back. "…duty calls."

He quickly dashed out of the room, leaving the beige stallion even more confused and with a plate of potato pancakes on his hooves. After a while of staring in the direction the party planner had headed, Cheese returned a swiftly took the plate from him, bolting again in the same direction as quickly as he had returned.

* * *

Cheese Sandwich took the first train to Ponyville, arriving about an hour later, and trotted in a fast pace towards Sugarcube Corner to see what Pinkie was up to. A party that could have made his Cheesy Sense tingle the way it had should be pretty big, in either size and/or importance, but when he arrived he was surprised to see that the town was unaltered. And calm. A little too calm, in fact.

When he finally arrived to the bakery he was surprised to see how everything was perfectly normal there as well. No ponies lining up at the door, no outside decorations, no nothing. Feeling both confused and suspicious, he knocked on the door, only to discover it was already open, and as soon as he pushed it open he was welcomed with a blast of Pinkie's party cannon to the face.

"SURPRISE!" squealed Pinkie, throwing her forelegs around him and holding him in a tight embrace. "Welcome back, Cheesie!"

"Oh Pinkie, you shouldn't have!" he exclaimed as he hugged her back. "I was only away for three days."

"I know, but I missed you!"

"Aww, I missed you too, shnookums!" he affectionately rubbed his nose against hers. "So, exactly what kind of party are you planning? It made my Cheesy Sense go crazy!"

"Oh, it's just a little… something, something." she beamed a little too forcefully.

"Riiiiiight…" Cheese didn't buy her little act one bit. He knew perfectly well she was hiding something.

Releasing himself from her grasp he looked around the room carefully. It was decorated with all sorts of party items, especially balloons. He had to admit, he had never seen so many balloons in one place before. Although that was enough spike his curiosity, something else caught his eye in a more particular way: a large banner hanging above the counter with the words 'Congratulations, Daddy!' written in bold red letters.

"Are you throwing a foal shower?" Cheese asked as he re-read the sentence, inspecting every detail.

"I guess you could say that." Pinkie replied, trying to hold in her excitement.

"Still, why are you just congratulating the dad? Where's the proud soon-to-be-mommy?" he looked around with a smile, only to have his gaze fall upon his fellow party planner, whose grin was now wider than ever.

"You're looking at her!" she squeaked, making Cheese arch a brow at her in confusion.

"What are you – "

His eyes widened like never before and his hat shot itself off of his head as it finally hit him: that party really was important… for him! It was the most important party of his life! The decorations, balloons, the banner… it was all so obvious now! He was going to be… a daddy!

After a few seconds of silence with his jaw almost on the floor, Cheese blinked a few times before looking back at Pinkie.

"You mean you're… I'm … we're…" he stuttered, his speech momentarily impaired as he tried to take in that new information. Pinkie simply nodded, still smiling brightly. Cheese's own smile started to grow as he finally understood what was going on. "WAAAHOOOO!"

He started jumping around the room in glee, laughing loudly as Pinkie watched him just as happy. She wanted to join him, but before she knew it he was holding her against him in the tightest of hugs as he hopped in his place. After a few moments of twirling around the store with his loved one in his forelegs whilst chuckling jovially, he quickly and gently released her as he remembered he shouldn't be squeezing her so tightly in her current condition.

"Wow… Me, a dad! Who would've thunk it?" he commented as he still held onto her shoulders.

"I knew you'd be happy!" Pinkie giggled.

"Happy? I'm thrilled!" he held her close, rubbing his cheek against hers. "We're going to have a baby!"

"Three."

"Come again?" Cheese asked as he drew her back to look her in the eyes.

"We're having triplets. Twilight checked." she gently patted her belly, feeling an almost inexistent bulge.

"Even better!" Cheese let out a few more hearty chuckles, then suddenly stood still as he felt his eyes tear. He tried wiping them away with his hoof, but it was no use. They just kept on coming.

"Cheesie?" Pinkie placed a hoof on his shoulder in worry. He sniffed and managed to smile at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just…" he held her in another tight hug, letting the tears roll down his cheeks. "…so happy!"

Pinkie smiled and patted him on the back as he sobbed away, feeling some tears in her own eyes. This was truly a joyous occasion.


	4. Let the Birthing Begin

The eleven months that passed were probably the longest eleven months in both Pinkie and Cheese's lives. The party planning stallion had decided it was better if he stayed closed to his marefriend as her pregnancy advanced, trying his best repress his Cheesy Sense, but when he was sure the party at hoof was of the upmost importance and that he couldn't ignore it, he took her with him, always making sure she was safe and comfortable.

He wasn't sure who was suffering the most through that time, Pinkie or him. She ate enough to feed four ponies, but oddly enough she didn't gain weight. The only thing that increased was the bulge on her abdomen, which by the last month almost scraped the floor as she walked. She had undying cravings for some of the most ridiculous things anypony had ever heard of: pickle smoothies, fudge-covered quiche, ice cream with French fries, you name it. Cheese tried to keep her from eating such filth, but after one time when she almost smashed his accordion against his head due to a an explosion of anger caused by her cravings and her violent mood swings, he decided to keep himself out of her way.

Ah yes, her mood swings. If nopony knew what Pinkie's true nature was, they would've never set hoof in Ponyville again. If one minute she was fine and dandy, the next one she was in a deep depression, then laughing about compulsively, then so angry it seemed like she was about to murder anypony that stepped in her way, and then she was back to being fine, not precisely in that order every time. It was almost a nightmare to whoever spent too much time with her, but fortunately those violent oscillations disappeared about two months before her due date.

Nopony knew exactly when Pinkie's foals were due, but Twilight kept a close eye on her and was able to determine just how far along she was. When she told Pinkie she was on her last month of pregnancy the pink mare was so happy that she would visit her every day and incessantly ask her if that day was the day when her triplets would be born. Every day Twilight would give her the same answer, saying that she didn't know when they were going to be born, but Pinkie's excitement never ceased. The only day she actually forgot to ask her, much to Twilights relief, was a day when Cheese Sandwich was asked to plan a party right there in Ponyville, in which Pinkie was dying to help out.

"But I wanna help you plan Angel's birthday party!" Pinkie whined after Cheese told her it was best if she didn't. They were in a field next to Fluttershy's cottage where the party would take place, preparing to set up all the decorations with other ponies who had volunteered to help.

"I know you do, but you have to take it easy, remember?" Cheese told her in a soothing tone as he petted her cheek. "You can't strain yourself."

"But I'm fine!" she grasped her protuberant belly as she felt a kick. "Just let me help out somehow, pleeeeeaaase!" Cheese thought for a moment, tapping his hoof against his chin.

"Tell you what, why don't you give the orders while the other ponies and I do all the hard work?" he suggested, making Pinkie smile brightly.

"YAY! Thank you!" she cheered as she hugged him tightly, making him chuckle. When she released him she pulled out a megaphone from behind her back and cleared her throat as she turned it on, the sound of static echoing from the acoustic horn. "Alright everypony, listen up!" she yelled into the cone-shaped object, gathering everypony's attention. "We need to make this party a HUGE success, so I wanna see every single one of you making it happen! I want carrot-shaped balloons, pools filled with vegetable punch, and a bouncy castle! We must have a bouncy castle! Make it happen, ponies! Now go, go, GO!"

Everypony hurriedly dispersed in different directions to gather all the items Pinkie had mentioned, and the mare smiled at her coltfriend as she lowered her megaphone, receiving a pat on the head from him.

"Pinkie, Cheese!" called out Fluttershy as she approached them with Angel on her back. "Thank you so much for helping out with Angel's party! He's really excited about it! Right, Angel?" she looked back at her bunny, who seemed to be looking around suspiciously.

"No problem at all, Fluttershy! We're happy to help!" said Cheese humbly.

"Yeah! Anything for a friend!" Pinkie beamed at her.

"Still, I know I shouldn't be making you work in your… condition." Fluttershy commented as she eyed her friend's enlarged stomach.

"Oh, phsaw!" Pinkie waved her off. "This is nothing! I'm feeling perfectly fi – HU-BU-BU-BU-BU-BU!" suddenly the pink mare's entire body started to shake violently, which made Fluttershy's eyes widen.

"What's happening?" Cheese asked, worried it was something serious.

"It's the Pinkie Sense!" exclaimed the yellow Pegasus. "And that sign means something big is going to happen!"

The party planning stallion concernedly observed his marefriend vibrate for a few more seconds until she stopped as abruptly as she started. She looked around to try and locate what had happened or was about to happen, but saw nothing. Upon realizing there was nothing to worry about she raised a hoof as if to say something but before she could say as a much as a word she heard a popping sound behind her and felt a warm fluid flow down through the her inner thighs. She raised one of her hind legs to see what had happened, also allowing Cheese and Fluttershy to see the clear liquid she was soaked in.

"What is that?" Pinkie asked, slightly disgusted.

"I've never seen anything like this." replied Fluttershy. She looked over at Cheese, who was holding a hoof against his mouth, trying not to gag. "Cheese?"

"Nope." he gulped down and breathed in. "I'll go ask Twilight, maybe she knows."

He trotted up to the violet alicorn, who was standing not too far away, having a conversation with Lyra, who listened intently as the princess told her about the time when she visited the world on the other side of the mirror.

"So you really had hands?" Lyra asked her in awe.

"Twilight!" Cheese called out to her. "We have a situation!"

"What's wrong?" asked Twilight as she directed her full attention to him.

"I'm not sure."

He turned around and gestured for Pinkie to come closer. It didn't take her too long to get there and as soon as she did Cheese lifted up one of her hind legs to show Twilight what had happen. The princess gasped loudly as soon as she laid eyes on the clear liquid on Pinkie's thighs.

"Pinkie, your water just broke!" she exclaimed, to which the two party ponies just arched a brow at her.

"What does that mean?" asked Pinkie obliviously.

"It means the foals are coming!"

Both Pinkie and Cheese's hearts sunk and eyes widened. Pinkie's jaw dropped and Cheese started to hyperventilate and pace frantically.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh, OH GOSH!" he panicked with his hoofs on his head.

"We talked about this, Pinkie!" Twilight scolded her friend. "Do you remember anything from the class I gave you on birth and parenting?"

Pinkie placed a hoof on her chin and thought back to that day. She remembered sitting at a desk in an auditorium while Twilight was in front of her. She remembered Twilight telling her to pay attention because what she was about to teach her was very important, afterwards turning to the board behind her and starting to talk about the topic at hoof as she wrote down the most important things, using her magic to move the chalk stick. She also remembered blinking at some point, which made her discover that whenever she did, Twilight would be in a different position. So she spent the remainder of the class blinking repeatedly and giggling to herself whenever she saw Twilight in a different pose when she opened her eyes.

"Nope." the pink mare finally stated, making Twilight slap her hoof against her forehead and let out an exasperated groan. "Ooh, wait!" she suddenly raised a hoof. "I do remember something! I remember you saying that giving birth is painful! But you know what? I don't feel any pain at a – AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she screamed as she fell onto her back, grasping her abdomen with one hoof and punching the ground with another as she felt a horrible cramp that started in her back and radiated into her stomach. "SWEET CELESTIA, THAT HURTS!"

"Oh gosh, oh GOSH!" Cheese was now panicking harder than before. "What do I do?! WHAT DO I DO?!" he grabbed Twilight's head and looked her in the eyes. "TWILIGHT, WHAT DO I DO?!" he screamed at her, which resulted in him being slapped.

"First of all, you're going to CALM DOWN!" she pushed him away, and Cheese breathed in a few times to try and calm himself. "Now, stand next to Pinkie. I'm going to teleport you both to the hospital."

"Wait, you're not coming?" he asked as he positioned himself next to Pinkie, who was gritting her teeth in suffering.

"I'll be there later. Right now we have to focus on getting Pinkie some medical attention."

Cheese looked down at his afflicted marefriend and nodded. Twilight told them to stand still and lowered her head, pointing her horn at the two ponies. Cheese grabbed Pinkie's hoof with his own, her eyes now full of tears, as Twilight concentrated and made her horn shine with her usual magenta magic. Cheese closed his eyes and felt himself be transported through time and space. When he felt like the journey had stopped, he opened his eyes he saw that he and Pinkie were inside the hospital, only a few feet away from the front desk.

"OK… OK…" he tried to steady her nerves and turned to Pinkie, who was now wiggling her hind legs and grasping her large stomach. He knelt down, still holding onto her hoof, and petted it with his other one. "J-just calm down. I'll try and find somepony who can lend us a – "

"SOMEPONY GET ME A STINKIN' WHEELCHAIR!" Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs. Her voice echoed through the entire room, if not through the entire hospital, making several ponies turn their attentions to the light-orange stallion and the pink mare writhing in pain in the middle of the room.

"Is everything alright, sir?" asked a white earth pony with a nurse hat who had just approached them.

"Yes! I-I mean, no!" Cheese stuttered almost breathlessly. "I-I need – "

"Cheese Sandwich?!" the mare exclaimed excitedly. "Oh my gosh, it's been so long!" Cheese just stared at her, trying to figure out who she was and how she knew him.

"I'm sorry, have we met?"

"It's me, Redheart! Well now it's Nurse Redheart, anyways." she chuckled. "You threw my graduation party! Boy, was that a blast!"

"Yeah, OK. Listen, that sounds really swell and all, but right now I've got a very delicate situation in my hooves!" he gestured towards Pinkie, who was just releasing another loud groan in both pain and impatience.

"Oh my!" Nurse Redheart gasped and turned to a couple of other nurse ponies who were in the room. "Get me a wheelchair and prepare the delivery room, STAT!"

Pinkie was rushed into the delivery room with Cheese, where they were instructed to wait for the doctor. Pinkie was on the bed dressed in a hospital gown, moaning in pain in a way that could make anypony else feel uncomfortable, while Cheese was still petting her hoof as he sat at her bedside. The only other pony in the room was a nurse none of them had ever seen before. She was a pistachio-green unicorn with a golden-blonde mane pulled back in a bun. She was opening up drawers and cabinets looking for something, obviously not knowing her way around the room. Eventually she opened what seemed to be a small refrigerator and her face lit up.

"OK, let's give the mommy something to relax, shall we?" she pulled out a large needle with her unicorn magic and carried it towards the side of the bed opposite to where Cheese was.

"I-it's OK, sweetie. You're going to be alright." he told Pinkie as he tried to calm both her and himself. "Everything's going to be just – "

He was interrupted by Pinkie, who grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him close to her face. He could see the anger in her eyes, a kind of anger he didn't want to get familiar with.

"If you say one more thing to cheer me up…" she threatened him between her gritted teeth. "…I am going to take my hoof AND SHOVE IT RIGHT UP YOUR Aaaa… Amish paradise…"

Pinkie's expression turned from angry to a mix of extreme satisfaction and bliss and released Cheese's shirt as she limply laid back on the bed. He was confused at first, but when he looked up he saw the nurse had just stuck the needle onto Pinkie's left foreleg.

"What did you do?" he asked worriedly as he saw his marefriend was now half-asleep.

"Oh, don't worry. This is just something we give all mares that are giving birth to help them get over the pain." she explained as she waved the needle in the air.

"Put down your chainsaw and listen to me! I got another tattoo…" said Pinkie, slurring her words and waving her forelegs around weakly.

"Is she going to be OK?" Cheese inquired the nurse.

"Yes, of course! This product is completely safe." she assured him as she disposed of the needle. "Although, I am just an intern. I still make a mistake or two."

"Now why does that sound vaguely familiar?"

"Alright everypony, let's do this." declared a large gray stallion in a lab coat as he burst through the door with a determined look on his face.

"This is it, Pinkie." Cheese whispered to the groggy mare. "You'll do great. I know you will."

"D'awwww… thanks, talking lasagna!" she replied, slowly running a hoof over his muzzle.


	5. Welcome To the World

The sounds of hooves hitting the tile floor echoed through the hallway as Applejack paced back and forth outside the delivery room. With her were the rest of her friends, sitting on the waiting room chairs as they nervously awaited news from their sixth companion. Twilight was practicing the breathing technique Cadence had taught her, Rarity was fanning herself with a hoof-held fan which waved in front of her with her magic, Fluttershy was biting her hoofs while Spike was biting his claws right next to her, and Rainbow Dash was hugging herself as she tried her hardest not let her nerves get the best of her.

The blue Pegasus gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she took her hooves to her head, her whole body trembling with anticipation.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" she shouted as she shot up into the air. "How long does it take for three little foals to be born?!"

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash!" scolded Twilight. "It's only been an hour!"

"Oh, but I have to admit this is quite stressful." said Rarity as she kept fanning herself.

"I just hope Pinkie's doing alright…" whimpered Fluttershy.

"Relax, I've read enough books on giving birth to know she's doing just fine." declared Twilight as she took out a book from her saddlebag and started flipping through it. "Although there are some things that could go wrong…"

"H-how wrong?" stuttered Spike, both nervous and afraid.

Twilight levitated the open book over to the dragon and the yellow Pegasus, and as soon as their gaze fell on those pages they both covered their eyes and let out a yelp. Just then the doors to the delivery room opened and a large gray stallion in a lab coat entered the hallway whipping sweat from his forehead. Rainbow Dash quickly flew towards him, stopping only a few inches away from his face.

"Well? How is she? How are the foals?" she asked almost breathlessly. The stallion muttered some words, which were muffled by his surgical mask. "What?"

"Sorry." he said as he removed the mask. "I was saying she's fine, and so are her babies. Everything went great."

"Alright!" Rainbow Dash did a flip in the air as the others approached them. "So can we see them?"

"I'm afraid not." he replied, causing Dash's smile to disappear. "The labor took a lot out of your friend, so maybe it's best if you – " his eyes suddenly widened. "Princess Twilight! I'm sorry, I didn't notice it was you!" he took a bow for the violet alicorn, causing her to blush in embarrassment. "If you're a friend of the mare whose foals I just delivered, please feel free to enter!"

"That's very nice of you…" Twilight replied, feeling more uncomfortable than honored. "… but I really don't require any special treatm – " her mouth was suddenly shut by Rainbow Dash, who held a hoof against her muzzle.

"She's so modest…" chuckled the blue Pegasus. "Of course she'll enter! We all will."

The stallion nodded and stepped aside to let the in the five mares and the baby dragon. Rainbow Dash took her hoof from Twilight's mouth, and after receiving a disapproving glare from the princess they all proceeded inside. As soon as they entered theyr gaze fell upon Pinkie, who was sound asleep in the bed, her mane an absolute mess. Cheese Sandwich was sitting right next to her, softly stroking her mane with an emotional look on his face.

"Cheese?" said Twilight, only to be shushed by the party planner. "Sorry. How is she?" she whispered.

"Tuckered out." he whispered back before turning to look at her again. "Poor thing. All that pushing was too much for her..."

"Where're the babies?" asked Rainbow Dash as she looked around the room.

"The nurse, I mean, the intern took them to the other room to be cleaned." he clasped his hooves together with the brightest of smiles across his muzzle. "Just wait until you see them, they're adorable!"

"All Ah see is one proud daddy." joked Applejack, making everypony else giggle silently and Cheese smile brighter.

"Here they are, daddy!" the intern declared as she reentered the room pushing forward three small beds on wheels. "You're three little bundles of joy are all freshened up!"

Sentimental exclamations echoed through the room as soon as the five mares set their gazes on the foals. Meanwhile, Spike tried to make himself taller and jumped up to see what all the fuss was about.

"Urgh… I can't see!" complained the baby dragon, when all of a sudden he was covered by a magenta glow as he was levitated to get a better view. Turning around he saw Twilight was lifting him up with her magic. "Thanks, Twilight!" he turned back to the foals, pressing his hands against his cheeks. "Awww…"

The babies all had the same color pattern: dark-salmon coats and dark-brown manes and tails. The first one's mane was curly, just like it's parents', the other's was straight, as could be seen in Pinkie's baby pictures, and the last one's was wavy. The three looked peaceful and a bit vulnerable as they snoozed away, oblivious to the commotion going on around them.

"Well, aren't those the purdiest lil' critters you've ever darn seen." commented Applejack as she moved closer to inspect them further.

"They're absolutely gorgeous!" exclaimed Rarity.

"So cute!" added Fluttershy with a squeak.

"Cheese, they're perfect!" Twilight told the emotional stallion, who couldn't stop staring at his offspring.

"They are, aren't they?" he asked before wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Whoa, are you crying?" teased Rainbow Dash as she poked his shoulder.

"What, no!" he quickly replied, rubbing both his eyes. "I'm just… sweating through my eyes!"

"Suuuure you are…" she rolled her eyes as she crossed her forelegs.

"We should wake her." Twilight said as she pointed at the passed out Pinkie. "I'm sure she wants to see them, too."

"Yeah, you're right." Cheese proceeded to softly shake his marefriend. "Pinkie? Pinkie, wake up…"

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BOLOGNA!" the pink mare shouted as she sprung up and confusedly looked around. "What happened? I was having the weirdest dream in which I was being attacked by radioactive hamsters and – " she instantly silenced herself as her gaze fell upon the three little foals by her bed, her eyes watering automatically. "Oh my gosh…" she whispered and looked up at Cheese, who smiled at her and wrapped his foreleg around her shoulders.

"Congratulations, mommy." he spoke softly, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You did it."

She smiled brightly and hugged him tightly, sobbing in joy onto his shirt. Around them the other five mares were starting to tear up as well. Even Spike gave into his emotions, as he was now blowing his nose with a tissue he took out from behind his back.

"Hello, everypony!" exclaimed Discord as he suddenly appeared in a flash of light behind them. As they turned around, their eyes widened as they saw he was carrying two ponies, a mare and a stallion, one under each arm. "Am I too late? Are the babies born, yet?"

"Discord… who are those?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly as she pointed at the two strangers.

"Oh, these?" he lifted them a bit. "Well, I was just so excited with the birth of Pinkie's foals that I just grabbed the first two ponies I saw on the street so they could share in my glee! Everypony, this is Sketchy Shadow…" he motioned towards the mare, a plum-purple Pegasus with a wavy chocolate-brown mane, dark-green eyes and a pencil for a cutie mark. "…and her coltfriend, Mylar." he equally motioned towards the stallion, a white unicorn with a bright orange mane, royal-blue eyes behind glasses framed with the same color and a pi symbol for a cutie mark.

"Discord, that is not OK!" the yellow Pegasus stomped her hoof against the floor angrily, making Discord's ears droop down. "You can't just ponynap whoever you want like that!" she turned to the two strangers, her expression softening. "I'm so sorry about this. I assure you he didn't mean any harm."

"That's OK." Mylar replied with a smile. "It's not every day that you get to be abducted by a draconequus."

"Oh look, somepony acknowledges my species!" said the reformed spirit of chaos.

"Why, of course I do! I actually took a class on Ancient Mythology in college, and I – " he suddenly stopped talking as he spotted something in the room that almost made his glasses fall off. "Holy Luna! Sketchy, look!" he pointed a hoof towards the spot where Cheese was sitting, making his marefriend's eyes widen.

"Oh my gosh, it's Cheese Sandwich!" she almost yelled as she and the white unicorn quickly jumped out of Discord's grasp and made their way towards the party planner, who was arching a brow at them.

"It's really you!" Mylar said giddily, almost unable to keep himself still.

"We are your biggest fans!" commented Sketchy Shadow, looking over at her coltfriend. "You actually planned my cousin Argonfire's cute-ceañera a few years back!"

"Argonfire…" Cheese tapped his chin as he tried to remember who that was. "Was she that dark-red Pegasus filly who wanted me to juggle flaming torches?"

"Yeah, exactly!" she chuckled. "I can't believe you actually remember that!"

"How could I forget? One of the torches set my mane on fire!"

"Are these babies yours?" asked Mylar, who was now looking at Cheese's foals. He nodded. "They're beautiful!"

"They're adorable!" commented Sketchy Shadow, taking a few steps towards the three beds. "Almost make you wanna have some of your own…" she sent a sly glare at her coltfriend, who was still inspecting the babies.

"Yeah…" he chuckled absentmindedly, his eyes widening not a second later as he realized what she had said. "Wait, what?!"

"I'm kidding!" she giggled, giving him a playful shove and then turning back to the orange stallion. "Have you decided what to name them?"

"We have discussed it. Should we tell them, Pinkie?" he asked the pink mare with a wide smile.

"Sure, let 'em have it!" she declared with a swing of her foreleg.

"Alright-y! Gather round, everypony, for you are about to have your minds blown!" he pressed his hooves against his head dramatically.

"By our awesome baby-naming skills!" added Pinkie, leaning towards their expectant crowd.

"If I may, I have compiled a list of appropriate names for the occasion." Discord declared as he conjured up a scroll, which unrolled itself to the other edge of the room.

"Oh no, you've done enough already!" Twilight angrily pushed a hoof against his chest. "I don't want to hear another word from you! Understood?"

"Fine…" he groaned and snapped his fingers, making his lips turn into a zipper. He zipped his mouth shut and sat down on the floor, frowning and crossing his arms against his chest like a foal who had just been grounded.

"Good." the princess then turned back to the party ponies. "Please proceed."

"Thank you. First off we have this little fella!" Cheese picked up the curly-maned foal and showed it around. "He's the apple of his daddy's eye, for he's the only colt in the bunch! And he shall be named… Poodle Hat!"

The ponies and Discord stood silent for a minute, trying to take in what they had just heard.

"Poodle Hat? Seriously?" said Rainbow Dash, finally breaking the awkward silence in the room. Discord muffled a laugh but quickly recomposed himself as Fluttershy sent him a disapproving stare.

"Hey, it was my great grandfather's name!" Cheese protested, holding his son against his chest. "Besides, it really does suit him! Look at these cute little curls!"

The stallion tousled the foal's mane to prove his point, and with it he started slowly awaking. He let out a small silent groan as his eyes opened and Pinkie's friends gasped as they saw they were a beautiful shade of blue.

"Pinkie, he has your eyes!" exclaimed Twilight. The pink mare quickly took Poodle Hat from Cheese at looked at his little face.

"Hey, you're right! Who's momma's little cutie?" she said as she rubbed her nose against his.

"I guess he is pretty cute..." agreed Rainbow Dash, walking up to the two and looking into the foal's eyes a little too closely. "Hey there, Poodle Hat!"

Scared by both her distance and the volume of her voice, Poodle Hat whimpered before bawling loudly. Pinkie held him close to her chest and petted him until he started to calm down, whilst Rainbow Dash looked at the baby with a brow raised.

"Geez… touchy, much?" the blue Pegasus asked in a grumpy tone, making Pinkie glare daggers at her.

"Pipe down, Dashie." called out Applejack, patting her on the back. Rainbow Dash let out an annoyed sigh and returned to her previous spot. Twilight cleared her throat.

"Moving along…?" the princess edged the party ponies on, to which Cheese nodded.

"Sure thing!" he looked down at the two remaining foals. "Next up we have…" he pointed a hoof at one of the babies, but his smiled died as he confusedly pointed from one to another repeatedly. "Uhhh…"

"Is something the matter?"

"Well, the thing is these two are both fillies, and we had two names picked out in case that would happen, but I just can't decide which should be named what!" he scratched his chin as he looked down at his daughters.

"Ooh, I have an idea!" declared Pinkie excitedly, stretching her foreleg up like a schoolfilly in class. "Why don't we wake them up and see who's the most cheerful one? That way we could give her the most fun-sounding name we picked!"

"That's… actually not a bad idea!"

Cheese slowly and gently placed a hoof over each of the fillies and pushed them slightly, hoping that would wake them. After a few nudges, the wavy-maned filly opened her eyes, remaining perfectly still, yet for some reason her light-turquoise eyes were staring at everypony in a way that almost sent shivers down their spines.

"Is it just me…" Fluttershy said in her usual quiet tone as she kept looking at the filly. "… or does she look a lot like – "

"Maud!" completed Twilight with a gasp. "Not only does she have her eyes, but her stare seems to be just like hers as well!"

"Whoa… What're the odds of that?!" commented a perplexed Rainbow Dash.

"It's not that unlikely, actually. New genetic testing techniques can now reveal ponies' shared lineage going back multiple generations, and yet there's – "

Twilight's explanatory speech was interrupted by a sound that made everypony turn their attention back to the three beds in front of them: giggling. It was the straight-maned filly. She had just woken up and seemed to be smiling at her audience. Everypony saw her green eyes, just like her father's, before she closed them and slowly waved her tiny forelegs around playfully as she made some of the most adorable baby noises they had ever heard. They all let out the same sentimental exclamations that they had when they first saw the three foals, all except for Discord, who had to bite his lip to keep himself from joining in the adoration.

"That is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" commented Sketchy Shadow as she pressed her cheeks with her hooves.

"And I think we know who won the most fun-sounding name!" said Cheese as he picked up his enthusiastic daughter, making her giggle some more. Pinkie placed Poodle Hat on her lap and took hold of the filly that resembled her sister. "Everypony… it is with great pleasure that I present to you…" he lifted the filly above his head. "…Panini!"

"And Ginger Muffin!" added Pinkie as she lifted up her second daughter close to the first.

"Those are such adorable names!" commented Fluttershy, clapping her hooves together.

"Thanks! Panini's the name of my second cousin twice removed!" stated Cheese.

"Whatever happened to her?" inquired Pinkie as she rubbed Ginger Muffin's tummy, getting no response from the newborn filly.

"Well, last time I saw her she was working at a hardware store in Manehattan. And a really good one, too!"

"Well, now that y'all's foals have their names, what're y'all gonna do next?" inquired Applejack as she scratched under Panini's chin. Cheese and Pinkie looked at each other, wide grins spread across their muzzles.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Cheese asked excitedly.

"I sure am!" Pinkie replied, clapping her hooves giddily.

"NEWBORN FOAL PARTY!" they both shouted, making everypony else smile and laugh.

"Oh, splendid! I'll take care of the decorations!" remarked Discord, snapping his fingers and making several party items appear around him, all with the foals' pictures on them.

"Oh no, you're not!" Twilight approached the draconequus, looking rather displeased. "First you're taking the two ponies you abducted back to where you found them!"

"Aww, already?" complained Sketchy Shadow.

"Yes, I believe it's best if you head home."

"Well… OK." she turned and beamed at Cheese. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Sandwich."

"Please, Mr. Sandwich was my father. Just call me Cheese." the party pony told her, showing one of his brightest smiles. Sketchy took her hoof to her forehead and fainted with a deep sigh. They all stared at her passed-out body for a few seconds, unsure about what to say. "Is she going to be OK?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She always does this around ponies she admires." assured Mylar as he proceeded to levitate his marefriend with his unicorn magic and head towards Discord. "How soon can you get us home? I need to get Sketchy some smelling salts."

"No need to worry. I'll have you back in Caneighda before you know it." affirmed the reformed spirit of chaos as he grabbed hold of the two ponies, and with a flash of light they were gone.

"One of these days I'll have to ask him what the hay he was doing in Caneighda." commented Twilight before turning to the new parents. "But for now… party?"

"PARTY!" exclaimed Pinkie and Cheese in unison.

A few hours later everypony was on the streets of Ponyville celebrating the triplets' birth. Once again the two party planners had exceeded themselves, throwing another memorable party. Ponies from all points of town came to see the foals and dance their flanks off. Even Pinkie's family made it for the occasion, the pink mare having written them about her babies a few days back and being surprised that they had arrived in town to visit her on that day.

As Marble and Limestone played with Poodle Hat and Panini inside Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie's parents had a civilized talk with the father of their grandfoals.

"Nice little shindig you have going here." commented Igneous Rock with a small smile as he looked around. "Pinkie had mentioned how good you were at throwing these."

"Well, it is my livelihood. But Pinkie's also a great party planner." Cheese chuckled before taking a sip of the cider mug he was holding.

"She sure is. And since were on the topic of my daughter…" Igneous' smile was replaced by a scowl as he narrowed his eyes and stared menacingly at the orange stallion. "… you better take good care of her, you hear?"

"I-I'll… I'd never… Yes, sir!" Cheese stammered, spilling his cider as he rapidly saluted the rock farmer with the same hoof with which he was holding the mug.

"Igneous!" Cloudy Quartz elbowed her husband. "Leave the poor colt alone!"

"Relax, I'm just messing with him." laughed the brown stallion, giving Cheese a strong pat on the back which almost made him fall.

Meanwhile in Pinkie's room, Maud was staring blankly at her niece Ginger Muffin, who was giving her the exact same look.

"I like her." stated the gray mare in her usual emotionless tone.

"I thought you would!" said Pinkie, bouncing around her sister. "She kinda looks like you!"

"That's probably due to our strong family genes. Still, I can't wait until she grows up and I can teach her about rocks. I think we might just get along."

"Pinkie, you gotta come downstairs!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she burst through the door. "Cheese just hung up this HUGE piñata, and he says it's full of tacos!"

"Ooh, fun!" Pinkie exclaimed before looking down at the babies. "You girls go on ahead. I'll catch up in a minute."

The blue Pegasus rapidly flew downstairs, followed by the three Pie sisters who trotted at their own pace. As soon as she heard the door shut behind her, Pinkie leaned over the three bassinets, her heart melting with the sight of her babies falling asleep. She wondered what she had done to be blessed with such perfect creatures. She knew they were the result of a mistake, but she didn't regret it one bit.

She bent down and gave each of them a loving kiss on their foreheads and headed towards the door. As she moved her hoof towards the light switch, she turned to look at them one more time, her smile growing. Turning off the lights and gently closing the door behind her, she thanked the fact that she had received three beautiful foals to love and care for.


	6. Panini

After their little ones were born, Cheese finally made up his mind and bought a cottage in Ponyville so he and Pinkie could raise their babies as a normal family. At the same time he decided that two party ponies were better than one, so he and the pink mare joined forces and both of them became known as the super duper party pony couple of Equestria, travelling the land and planning parties with their three little bundles of joy.

As the foals grew up, it became more and more apparent that their differences weren't only due to their appearance. They also developed their own unique personalities, but that didn't mean they didn't get along. They were very united siblings, even if their qualities seemed to clash every now and then.

Panini was the only one of the three who was most like their parents. A tireless little ball of hyperactivity and overall joy, the filly was always looking for ways to have fun, be it playing with her siblings or trying to help out with her parents' party planning in any way she could. At some point she thought her straight mane was a little too boring, so she tied it up in two pigtails with red ribbons, making her look even cuter than she already was. She never stood still in the same place for too long, and Cheese and Pinkie couldn't be more proud.

For a while it seemed like she would be following in her parents' hoofsteps and become a party planner, but that was proven not to be the case after she helped them plan a few festivities and her flank remained blank. They weren't sure what her special talent was, but they knew it would appear sooner or later.

Not too long after the triplets turned eight, Cheese and Pinkie were asked to plan a Sweet 16 party in Foaledo, to which Cheese invited a band he knew would get the job done just right. As he stood among the crowd with his partner, Poodle Hat and Ginger Muffin sitting on his back and Panini sitting on Pinkie's, the three stallions that composed the band he hired for the occasion were on stage singing happily about how great it was to work in a bank.

"These guys are hilarious!" exclaimed Pinkie, trying to raise her voice over the cheering crowd. "How did you ever find them?"

"I ran into Sturdy Chuckles and his two friends when they were playing at the Vanhoover train station for quick bits." he stated, taking out a picture of him and the three ponies at the same train station. "I thought they were so talented and funny, they needed to be discovered! So I started taking them with me to perform at my parties, and at one of those a record producer spotted them and offered them a contract! Now they're famous, and they still thank me for it. They even named their third album after me!"

"That's so cool, daddy!" commented Panini, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Thanks, sweetie!" he chuckled and patted her head.

Poodle Hat looked around him, feeling a little nervous as he held onto his father's mane. There were too many ponies around, and even though he was safe in his spot, he was still afraid that he would get lost, somehow. Closing his eyes and tightening his grip on Cheese's curls, he let a small whimper.

"You OK back there, Poodie?" his father asked as he looked back at the trembling colt with a smile.

"I… I don't know…" he said, his voice almost inaudible. "I'm scared…"

"Don't worry. You're safe here with your ol' dad." Cheese tousled his son's mane, which made him feel a bit more comfortable.

"Thank you, Foaledo!" shouted the lead singer from Cheese's band, a red pony with a messy light-brown mane, blue eyes and a microphone for a cutie mark. "We're the Conceited Maggots, and we are proud to be here playing for you!" the crowd cheered loudly before he gestured for them to calm down. "But let me tell you something... This might be a shocker, but we weren't always the incredible singing stallions you see before you today. No, siree! There was once a time when we were just Sturdy Chuckles…" he placed a hoof on his chest to indicate he was talking about himself. "…Spuds McShorty…" he gestured towards the pony playing the bass on his right, a blue stallion with a short dark-brown mane, gray eyes and a bass for a cutie mark. "…and Rocky Road." he gestured towards the pony playing the guitar on his left, a balding green stallion with brown eyes and a guitar pick for a cutie mark. "But we're big shots now, and we only have one pony to thank for that. And he's here today with his family!" he pointed a hoof towards Cheese, who humbly smiled at the crowd. "Give it up for Equestria's greatest party planner, Cheese Sandwich!"

Applause roared as the party pony waved at the crowd, feeling a tad embarrassed. As Poodle Hat held onto his mane even tighter, spooked by the overenthusiastic ponies around them, the young colt noticed something that made his state of mind go from worry to panic.

"M-mom?" he stuttered, his eyes glued to that one spot.

"Yes, sweetie?" Pinkie turned to her son, surprised to see the shocked look on his face.

"Where's Panini?"

The two party ponies quickly glanced over to where she was supposed to be, and saw she was gone. They looked everywhere, even going to the point of looking under other ponies, when they remember that there was a chance their other daughter had seen where she had gone.

"Ginger!" Cheese turned around to face the wavy-maned filly on his back. "Have you seen your sister?"

Ginger Muffin kept staring at the stage as she stretched her foreleg towards it. When their gazes fell upon the spot where she was pointing the two party ponies almost had a heart attack. There was Panini, sitting behind the drums on the stage and hitting the drum sticks together in a way she had seen other ponies do it to indicate she was about to start playing the instrument. The drummer was nowhere in sight, presumably taking a break.

Before her parents could even call her out, Panini started energetically banging on the drums. Surprisingly enough, it actually sounded good! She had an incredible notion of rhythm and timing that made her excel at was she was doing. Cheese and Pinkie's expressions softened, now amazed at how well her drumming sounded. Everypony in the audience was watching her attentively as she played away. Even the Conceited Maggots had turned their attentions to the filly with pigtails, observing her in awe.

She started to slow her drumming down, and with a final hit on one of the cymbals she stopped. She panted heavily, but had a while satisfied smile. Everypony was silent as Sturdy Chuckles slowly approached her.

"Young filly…" said the stallion with the messy light-brown mane. "… that was one of the best drum solos I've ever heard!"

Panini smiled brightly as the crowd cheered for her, including her parents, who tried to cheer even more than everypony else. Her bright green eyes seemed to twinkle with how much she loved the praises she was receiving.

"Tell me, sweetheart, what's your name?" he asked as the two other members of the band walked up to them.

"Panini Pie-Sandwich!" she replied cheerfully.

"Well, dress me in a hula skirt and call me Petunia!" exclaimed the stallion knows as Rocky Road. "She's Cheese's kid!"

"No kidding!" Sturdy Chuckles pulled the mic close to him. "Mares and gentlecolts, this talented young filly is none other than the daughter of that one-and-only party planner, Cheese Sandwich!"

The crowd cheered once more and Cheese and Pinkie both blushed from the overzealous attention they were receiving. Waving at their fans embarrassedly, they saw Panini jump down from behind the drums and skip towards the edge of the stage to smile and wave at the other ponies, and noticed something that surprised them in a good way.

"Now, wait just a cotton-pickin' minute!" said Spuds McShorty, a comical smile on his face as he moved to have a better look at the dark-salmon filly. "Wasn't you flank blank just a minute ago?"

"Uh?" Panini looked back at her flank and a wide smile spread itself across her muzzle as she saw a pair of crossed drumsticks where there was nothing before. "My cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!"

"Well, ain't that super?" Sturdy Chuckles rubbed her head. "Now, why don't you play us a little something?"

Panini quickly nodded and dashed towards the drums. She twirled the drumsticks over her head and starting playing to her heart's content. The Conceited Maggots joined her afterwards, each of them playing their own instrument as Sturdy Chuckles started singing a song he had come up with on the spot.

_"_ _Walkin' down a church 'cause our relative is dead,_

_There are lots of snacks, made with Wonder Bread._

_There's not a crust or color I can see!_

_Whether filled with chicken, tuna, egg or ham,_

_They all look the same, they're really freakin' bland._

_They are all shaped geometrically!_

_But now there's too much mayonnaise!_

_There's just too much mayonnaise!_

_There is too much mayonnaise_

_In my life!_

_Too much mayonnaise…"_

As Panini grew up she kept on practicing her drumming whenever she managed, be it on her toy drum kit or on pots and pans from her kitchen. Early in her teen years she befriended a few ponies her age who shared her love for music: Fudgebar, a dark-brown filly with a black mane and bright yellow eyes who loved to play guitar. She was a skilled baker and loved trying new and 'different' baked goods; Sarsaparilla, a magenta Pegasus filly with a blonde mane and brown eyes who was pretty good at playing the keyboard. Although she acted tough most of the times, she had a secret love for colt bands; and Lullaby, a gentle pale-blue unicorn filly with a white mane and pale-pink eyes who had an incredible singing voice and the strange habit of collecting bubble wrap.

The four fillies decided to join forces and form their own band. They started playing just for fun, but after a while they were starting to get known throughout town. Panini's dad took them to a few parties he planned so they could play before an actual audience, and the majority of ponies thought they were pretty good. They started calling themselves Sunshine Four, name with which their popularity and fame grew through the roof. Eventually Cheese decided to introduce them to the same record producer who had launched the Conceited Maggots, and after hearing them he decided to give them a shot. With that they became famous throughout Equestria, going on tour from one city to another every week.


	7. Poodle Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood

Of the three Pie-Sandwich foals, Poodle Hat was the shiest. He was so introverted and quiet he was barely able to make any friends. Nonetheless, he was a very curious and smart colt who loved to learn. He liked his parents' parties as much as anypony, but his idea of a perfect afternoon was staying in his room with a good book, reading and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Even with his love for knowledge, Poodle Hat, or 'Poodie', as his parents and his sister Panini liked to call him, was still unsure of what his special talent was. In his mind he could be a large number of things: teacher, scientist, famous book author… But none of those seem to completely fulfill him. Sometimes he would even feel sad for not knowing what he was supposed to do with his life. But all that changed one afternoon, in the most bizarre way possible.

"And that's why you should never climb trees without the correct protective gear." Pinkie Pie told her daughter Panini, who now had a cast on her right hind leg. She had fallen from a tree and had to be rushed to the hospital, where she had to stay for another month.

"I'm sorry, mommy…" she apologized sadly, making her mother's heart melt.

"Oh, I could never stay mad at you!" she rubbed her cheek against hers, making her giggle.

Cheese Sandwich watched silently as the mare comforted the filly, smiling at how cute they both looked. While Ginger Muffin was staring at her sister's cast, Poodle Hat was looking around the room, taking in all the medical details. They seemed to fascinate him beyond comprehension, and he thought he might be destined to be doctor. Although that still didn't seem right for him…

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard some commotion outside the room. His head turned towards the door just in time to see a few nurses hurriedly push a pony in a stretcher across the hallway. Being the curious colt he was he couldn't contain himself and slowly walked out of the room. He could hear voices barking orders at the end of the hallway, so all he had to do was follow their sound.

"Doctor, if we don't operate on him right now, is appendix is going to burst!"

"Gosh darn it nurse, don't you think I know that?!"

Poodle Hat peeked through the door and was welcomed by an unusual sight: about three nurses and a doctor were around the pony he had seen on the stretcher, who was now lying on an operating table moaning and writhing in pain at an unbearable level. The nurses and the doctor seemed to be merely observing him, trying to figure out their next step.

"Doctor please, this poor stallion is suffering!" one of the nurses pleaded, looking at the agonized pony with sympathy.

"SHUT UP, NURSE!" yelled the doctor, making her and the other nurses flinch. "I know perfectly well what I'm supposed to do! Just let me think for a minute! You know I can't focus under pressure!" he took a deep breath and looked back at his patient. "OK… we need – "

"Doctor, come quick!" another nurse suddenly appeared at the door, so distressed she didn't even notice the small colt on her left. "We just received a pony whose body is full third-degree burns!"

"Oh, you have got to be flippin' kidding me!" the doctor slammed a hoof against the wall in fury. "Get him some ice! As for the rest of you, prep the operating room! STAT!"

Poodle Hat only had time to take a few steps back when everypony in the room rushed out to do what they were told, the doctor leaving with the last nurse to check on the burned pony. Looking back into the room he saw the stallion was still groaning as he grasped his right hip. The colt didn't know why, but that room seemed to draw his attention in a way he had never felt before. He slowly entered, making sure the pony didn't hear him, and looked around. A small smile formed itself on his as he took in all the details. Somehow he really was fascinated by medicine.

As he glanced over at a small table next to the pony, he noticed some tools. No doubt they were the doctor's tools. They were just a few odd-looking metal objects, none of which he knew about, but one of them seemed to capture his focus in a more distinctive way: a knife. A small, yet extremely sharp knife. It seemed to be calling out to him, attracting him to it with its shiny presence.

Poodle Hat started moving towards the cutting object almost without knowing it. As he reached the table he stared at the knife, his eyes glimmering in wonder. He looked back at the pony, still groaning loudly in pain with his eyes squeezed shut. Somehow he felt like he knew what to do to help him.

He picked up the knife, examining every detail about it, and gazed at the spot he was grasping, knowing that was the spot that hurt him the most. He gently pushed away the stallion's hooves from his right hip, movement which made him open his eyes to see who was there.

"What the…?" he noticed the colt holding the sharp object. "Hey kid, what're you doing in here?" he didn't respond, and the older pony's eyes widened when he lined the knife's with his right hip. "Whoa, what do you think you're doing?!" he raised the object above his head, preparing to lower it. "Wait, no! DON'T!"

* * *

"That's the last time I let such an inexperienced nurse take charge." said the doctor as he trotted down the hallway whilst wiping sweat from his forehead. "I just it's not too late to take care of that other pony's appendicitis."

He stopped a few feet from the entrance to the room where he had left the other pony, wondering why everything was so silent all of a sudden. If he recalled correctly, the stallion in that room had been writhing and grunting in agony not ten minutes ago. It was all a little too suspicious.

Slowly looking inside the room his eyes widened as his gaze fell upon what looked like a small dark-salmon colt with a curly dark-brown mane leaning over the pony's pelvis. His patient was now passed out, and he could some blood dripping from the operating table to the floor.

"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S GOOD NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted as he quickly entered the room, pushing the colt aside without giving him any time to react as he examined the stallion to see what damage had been done.

He started to calm himself when he realized just what had happened: there was the pony's infected appendix, placed next to his operating tools. He noticed the only one that had been put to use was his scalpel, which was now completely soaked in blood. The pony was still breathing, but had lost his senses due to the pain of having his side cut open. The cut was precise, one of the most precise and flawless cuts he had ever seen in his career. One particular detail that caught his eye was the fact that it seemed to have been cleaned. Looking back at the colt, who was sitting on the floor too afraid to move, he noticed he was holding a blood-soaked tissue with his right hoof.

"Did… did you… do this?" he asked, his eyes still wide in astonishment for what such a young pony had done.

Poodle Hat was both motionless and speechless. He looked from the doctor to the pony on the stretcher repeatedly, trying to grasp what had happened. Somehow he didn't recall much; it was like he had been entranced and his body moved without him even telling it to. He was worried he had put the life of that poor stallion in jeopardy. He wasn't moving. Was he… dead?

"I-I'm sorry…" he muttered before rapidly getting back up on his hooves and running out of the room. He heard the doctor call him as he galloped down the hallway, feeling tears burning his eyes and making it hard to see where he was going.

Eventually he reached the spot where Panini's room was, and noticed his parents were out looking for him. As he approached them he saw his dad turning his attention to him and letting out a relieved sigh.

"There you are!" said Cheese Sandwich as he and Pinkie approached their son. "Where have you been? We were worried si – "

He trailed off as he noticed his son's hooves were covered in blood. Poodle Hat noticed this and quickly hid them behind his back before looking back at his parents, who seemed to be a little frightened.

"Poodle Hat…" Cheese almost whispered, his gaze fixed on his son. "What did you do?"

"I-I…" he stuttered, thinking of a way to explain himself to them, which was almost impossible. "I just – "

"I'll tell you what he did."

He jumped as he heard that booming voice, and when he turned around his suspicions were confirmed: it was the doctor. And he didn't look too pleased.

"Sir, ma'am… your son…" he said as he looked down at the young colt, who took a few steps back out of fear and squeezed his eyes shut. "…just saved a grown pony's life."

Poodle Hat's eyes shot open. Had he heard it right? Did he really save another pony's life? He must have, for when he looked at the doctor he saw he was smiling at him.

"I… r-really?" he stammered as he incredulously looked up at the stallion.

"Indeed." he placed himself next to the colt, wrapped a foreleg around his neck and turned to Cheese and Pinkie, whose mouths were now agape in surprise. "Your son has some pretty advanced surgery skills for his age. Never in my many years of experience have I seen such a precise surgical cut. It would be a shame to let such a great talent go to waste."

"I, uh, well…" Cheese mumbled, unsure about how to reply to such a comment. He turned to his son with a concerned expression. "Is this what you want, Poodie?"

"Don't ask him, ask his flank."

The doctor gently turned Poodle Hat to the side and his parents gasped. He was confused, but looked at his flank and gasped as well. There was his cutie mark, the same knife he had used on the other pony.

"My cutie mark is a… knife?" he inquired the doctor, who let out a small chuckle.

"That's a scalpel, kid. It's the kind of knife you use to perform surgery." he replied. "Well, I have to get back to work. It was nice meeting you all. And thanks, kid. You really made a difference here, today."

Poodle Hat beamed at him before he turned around and walked down the hallway to attend to his other patients. He was about to turn around himself when he felt a pair of forelegs wrap themselves around his torso in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie!" Pinkie squealed as she embraced her son. "You're a hero!"

"He sure is!" Cheese Sandwich tousled his mane playfully. "What do you say we all go out and celebrate?"

Pinkie released the colt started hopping down the hall with Cheese to go fetch Ginger Muffin, who was still in the room with her sister. As he saw his parents walk away, Poodle Hat brought his bloody hooves close to his face to examine them. The blood had dried out by then, but he could still feel its scent. And he liked it.

He couldn't quite explain it, but what he had like the most about operating on that pony wasn't the fact that he was saving his life, it was cutting him open. Something about slicing his flesh and feeling his blood on his hooves made him feel… exhilarated. In a way that made him want to burst into laughter. His eye started to twitch as a wide grin spread itself across his muzzle. That feeling, that color, that smell… he loved all of it.

From that day on Poodle Hat was determined to grow up to be a surgeon. He made it his priority to study and learn more about that particular profession, taking up all of his free time to read books about anatomy and other topics that he considered helpful. He gained so much knowledge on his own that his teachers felt that there was nothing more they could teach him that he didn't already know. Eventually his dream came true, and he became an excellent surgeon. Although he did take more pride in feeling his patients' insides on his hooves than in actually doing something good for them. Nopony ever saw it, but every time he was told there was somepony waiting for him on his operating table, he felt so much joy inside of him that he to try his hardest to not squeal in joy.


	8. Ginger Muffin

Quiet and phlegmatic; those were the two words that described Cheese and Pinkie's second daughter the best. Ginger Muffin rarely smiled, or showed any other type of emotion, for that matter. She just had the same 'I don't care' expression all the time, and it worried her father. Although Pinkie didn't seem to worry at all, and kept reminding him that she had just inherited her sister's personality, Cheese was still concerned for the wavy-maned filly, as he had been from the minute she was born. He recalled she was the only one who didn't cry when she came into the world, no matter how many times the doctor smacked her rear.

As it was expected, Ginger Muffin and her aunt Maud got along just fine, mostly due to their similar behavior. She was the pony she interacted with the most, and Maud enjoyed her niece's company. She gladly taught her all she knew about rocks, and Ginger Muffin listened attentively. She started calling her 'Rock Candy' affectionately, for, according to the bluish-gray mare, she was 'sweet like the treat itself', even though her facial expression never changed.

As much as the filly enjoyed hearing her aunt teach her about minerals, who secretly hoped that she would pursue the same path as her, Ginger Muffin didn't feel like that was her destiny. But then again, the fact that she didn't take interest in anything didn't really help her find her purpose in life. It actually seemed like she was going to be the only one of the Pie-Sandwich triplets without a cutie mark. That is, until one day…

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Ponyville, and the triplets were playing by the pond in their front yard. Well, Panini was playing, or rather hoping around hyperactively with no particular purpose. Poodle Hat was sitting by the pond, absorbed in an anatomy book he had gotten from the library, and Ginger Muffin was lying on her stomach a few feet away from him, observing her sister jump around in glee.

Eventually the wavy-maned filly got tired of watching her and glanced at the water next to her. She studied her reflection closely, contemplating every detail. She liked the way she looked, but something was bothering her. A great doubt that had been in her mind for a while now.

"Poodle Hat?" she called out as she turned to her brother, who jumped slightly at the mention of his name.

"Y-yeah?" he lifted his eyes from behind his book, wiping the corner of his mouth. Ginger rolled her eyes, aware that he was drooling over pictures of internal organs.

"Do you think I'm… pretty?"

"What? How am I supposed to know that?!" he seemed visibly disturbed by that question. Ginger sighed.

"I thought, since you're a colt, you'd be able to tell whether I'm pretty or not."

"Well, I can't. I don't get along with that many fillies, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess…" she sighed again, her gaze drifting back to the water beside her. She ran a hoof through her mane feeling her immense waves.

"Why don't you ask mom? Or aunt Maud?"

"I did. They both think I'm pretty, but aunt Maud says I need an unbiased opinion from somepony whose not in my family. I ju – "

"THINK FAST!"

Before she could even react, she felt some strong force push her hard onto the pond. Poodle Hat did his best to shield his precious book from the water that splashed towards him. When Ginger Muffin emerged she was completely soaked, her wet mane covering her face completely. As she drew her wet locks from her eyes, the first thing she saw was her sister hopping in place and beaming widely at her.

"Panini…" she groaned as she stepped towards dry land. "…why did you do that?"

"Because it's fun!" she merely replied, making her sister let out an exasperated sigh.

* * *

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Photo Finish swatted away her assistant who had been showing her several pictures of young fillies in fashion attires as they both trotted through the streets of Ponyville. "None of dese vill do! I need somepony new, somepony frresh, somepony vith an unique sense of style!" she groaned as she looked down at her hooves, which were starting to get sore. "I just can't beelieve de ponies voo usually carry me arre home seeck today…"

When she looked up she noticed they were nearing the town's outskirts, and saw a small cottage by a pond with dark-salmon foals in the front yard. One of the foals caught her attention, a wavy-maned filly who was just coming out of the pond. As she shook her head to dry herself off, the photographer's jaw dropped. She could actually see the filly move in slow-motion, her long mane swaying and undulating with every wave of her head.

"Dat's eet! She's de one!" she pointed a hoof in the filly's direction. "I must haf herr!"

"Aw man, you got water all over my book!" complained Poodle Hat as he wiped the humidity from the cover. "If this gets ruined, mom and dad will have to pay for it!"

"Ooh, can I read it?" Panini asked as she quickly moved towards her brother, making him hug the book close to him.

"No, it's too complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"Ahem."

The triplets looked up to see a mare they had never seen before in their lives. She was light-blue, had a white mane and was wearing a dress and magenta glasses for some reason. Panini beamed at the stranger, while Poodle Hat raised a brow at her and Ginger Muffin remained unfazed.

"Uh… who are you?" Poodle Hat asked hesitantly, a little freaked out from the mare's appearance.

"I am Photo Finish, de most famous fashion photogrrapherr in all of Eqvestrria." she struck a pose. "I vas just looking forr a feelly to model forr de next foal Summerr line, und I vant you to fill dat rrole." she pointed at Ginger, who was clearly unimpressed, yet her siblings glared at her in awe.

"Me?" she asked as the information sank in. "Why me?"

"Because you arre one of de most beautiful feellies I haf everr seen!" she explained, unaware that Panini had positioned herself next to her and was mimicking her every move. "You haf an unique sense of style dat vorrks grreat forr you, and an attitude to match! Eet's new und refrreshing, und absolutely – VOULD YOU CUT DAT OUT?!" she yelled at Panini, who giggled and ran away. The photographer adjusted her scarf and cleared her throat before continuing. "So vat do you say, miss…"

"Ginger Muffin. And I don't know, I guess I would have to ask my parents first."

"I see…" she rubbed her chin as she took a moment to think. "I shall talk to dem. Take me to yourr parents."

Photo Finish followed the triplets as they led her to their front door, and as they reached the entrance she lifted her hoof to ring the doorbell. As soon as she pressed the small button she was showered by a great amount of streamers and confetti that came from a small hole above the doorbell and hit her right in the face.

"Vat vas dat?!" the mare asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"That's the doorbell! Isn't it fun?" Panini replied before running up and pushing the button repeatedly, shooting more party decorations onto the photographer, until Ginger Muffin slowly pushed her foreleg down. Photo Finish was just sweeping her mane when they heard a clicking sound and the door opened before them.

"Yes?" asked Pinkie as she looked outside, smiling as she saw who was at her doorstep. "Oh hi, Photo Finish! Long time no see!"

"Peenkie Pie?" she gasped, surprised with the sight of the pink mare. "I had no idea you had been a motherr! But den again, eet has been a long time since ven I hirred Flooterrshy as my model. How has she been, by de vay?

"Oh, she's great! She's actually getting mar – "

"Who's at the door, Pinkie?" Cheese asked as he poked his head through the door with a smile. "Photo Finish? Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

"Cheese Sandvich?!" now she was completely flabbergasted. "I had hearrd you und Peenkie had joined forrces, but I neverr imagined eet had been like dis!"

"Well, we had to. We have a family now." the stallion wrapped his foreleg around Pinkie's neck, grinning at her.

"Eendeed. Und dat is exactly vy I'm herre. I haf a prroposition forr you und yourr daughterr, Gingerr Mooffin."

"Well then, come on in!" Pinkie took a step back and gestured towards the inside of the house. "We just baked cookies!"

"COOKIES!" exclaimed Panini before bolting inside, followed by the other ponies, who entered at their own pace.

After half an hour of talking accompanied by cookies and tea, Pinkie was excited with the idea of her daughter modeling for such a distinguished pony as Photo Finish, but Cheese was still a little reluctant.

"I don't know…" he scratched his head insecurely. "Isn't she a little too young to be model?"

"Oh no, quite de contrrarry!" said Photo Finish as she set her teacup down. "Therre arre a lot of ponies voo starrt even youngerr!"

"I'm still not sure…"

"Vy don't vee trry eet out, den?" she clapped her hooves and three ponies ran into the room, one with a clothes rack full of fancy dresses, another one with several makeup kits and the third one with a folding screen. "Just to see how she does."

Cheese looked over at Pinkie, who beamed and nodded at him, and complied. Photo Finish clapped her hooves again and the pony who had brought in the folding screen took her behind the cloth panels, where she was dressed by the pony who brought the dresses and had her face painted by the makeup pony. A few minutes later the folding screen was dragged away to show how she was, and everypony's jaws dropped. She had been dressed in a strapless light-turquoise evening gown with a white ribbon tied in a bow around her waist, and her eyelids had been painted in a smother pastel shade of the dress' color, which brought out the color of her eyes. And somehow her mane was framing her face even better than before. Pinkie and Cheese had to lift up each other's jaw to recover from the initial surprise, while Ginger Muffin looked around confusedly.

"Marrvelous!" exclaimed Photo Finish. "Simply marrvelous!"

"What is?" asked Ginger, not understanding what all the fuss was about. The makeup pony brought her a full body mirror, and as soon as her gaze fell upon her reflections she gasped and her eyes widened for the first ever. She examined herself from different angles, her astounded expression remaining. "Is that… me?"

"Eet surre is!" the photographer clapped her hooves once more and the pony who had brought the dresses quickly brought her camera. "Now, pose forr me."

"Like this?" she stuck out her left foreleg, closed her eyes and threw her head back.

"Yes, yes, keep doing dat! Perrfect!"

Ginger Muffin struck a few more poses and Photo Finish took many pictures of each of them. Meanwhile, all the rest of the Pie-Sandwich clan could do was watch in awe as the wavy-maned filly moved like a professional.

"Dat's enough." declared Photo Finish, and the pony who had brought her the camera quickly took it away. She descended from her seat and put her foreleg around the filly. "So, how do you feel?"

"I don't know…" Ginger looked down at her hooves before looking back up at the photographer. "It felt kind of… right."

"Of courrse eet deed! You'rre a naturral at dis!" she turned to Cheese and Pinkie, whose eyes were still wide. "Vat do you think?

"I've honestly never seen anything like it." Cheese commented before turning to his partner. "What do you think, Pinkie?"

"That was AWESOME!" she yelled, throwing her forelegs up.

"Den eet's settled. You shall become Photo Finish's new model."

"Now, hold up!" Cheese raised his hooves up in front of him in a placating manner. "I think that's up to Ginger to decide. What do you say, honey?"

The filly looked from her parents to the photographer repeatedly, eventually looking at her siblings, who simply smiled at her. She tried to search her feelings, and ultimately felt something that told her what her true path was.

"Can somepony help me out of this dress… so I can put on another?" she looked up at Photo Finish, and did something that was completely unexpected: she smiled. Her parents gasped, and Cheese even wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"But of courrse!"

Photo Finish clapped her hooves for the fourth time that afternoon and the same pony from before brought the folding screen back and concealed her with it. As the pony in charge of the dresses helped her out of her current garment, a gasp was heard.

"Vat? Vat ees going on back derre?" the photographer went behind the folding screen to see what had happened and gasped as well. "Oh my!"

"What happened? What's going on?" Cheese asked worriedly as he got up from his seat. Before he could reach them Photo Finish came back out with a satisfied smile on her face.

"I am prroud to say yourr daughterr just got even morre beautiful."

She moved to the side to reveal Ginger Muffin, who now had two spotlights with crossed light beams on her flank. Cheese let out a loud gasp, as well as the rest of their family, and ran up to hug his daughter.

"I'm so proud of you!" he held her tight against him. Ginger returned the hug, but not as tight. "Looks like we're going to have to plan another cute-ceañera!"

"Yeah… just don't make it too flashy, OK dad?" Ginger sighed, knowing her request would most likely be forgotten.

Photo Finish took in Ginger Muffin as her own personal protégé, teaching her all there was to know about the world of fashion. She made such an impact in her first photo shoot that she was asked to do another, then another, and so on until they decided she should be Photo Finish's permanent model. She appeared in magazines, commercials, anywhere she could. She grew up to be a famous model, one of the most famous in Equestria.

And so the Pie-Sandwich triplets found their paths in life, doing what came natural to them. A drummer, a surgeon and a model. So different, yet so alike.


End file.
